Colombia opens border to Dutch apples and pears

Dutch fruit exporters are now able to sell apples and pears in Colombia. During the recent visit by LNV minister Carola Schouten to Colombia the official signatures regarding this were signed. The rest of the administrative formalities are expected to take up little time.

The talks with Colombia started in 2014. A procedure of four years isn't unusual. The negotiations with China, for example, took up six years.

Unloading the European marketBranch organisation GroentenFruit Huis is very happy with the market access achieved. The European market for fruit is tight, sales outside of the European Union unburden the market and are therefore good for the yield prices.

FruitMasters is the only sales organisation that - ahead of the definitive market access to Colombia - has singled out plots of export to the country at the start of cultivation season 2018. The pears that have been harvested from these plots can now definitely be exported to Colombia. Other exporters that want to profit from the market access can sign up plots of this at the start of 2019.

Sales in the off-seasonA lot of fruit is grown in countries like Chile and Argentina. Inge Ribbens of GroentenFruit Huis therefore isn't assuming that Dutch apples and pears will be on Colombian shelves all year round. "There is space for Dutch fruit in the months that few apples and pears are available from the surrounding countries. And in years with a disappointing harvest. Our exporters are able to supply quickly when there is demand."

New markets demand timeRibbens also tempers expectations. Sales to new countries outside of the EU take up a lot of time. "But the export figures to India and China prove that growth is possible. For apples for instance, India is now the fourth destination."